Tag Archives: Airport Hotels

Philadelphia Hotels & the World Series

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I heard news today bashing Philadelphia Hotels for moving the Tampa Bay Rays out of a City Hotel and that the whole team had to book in Delaware.   They were not able to locate a hotel that could take all of their rooms and they didn’t want to split them.

Just to confirm the Monday night game was suspended in the 6th inning due to weather.  They were to complete the game on Tuesday.  On Tuesday the weather was worse here in Philadelphia – cold, rainy and windy.  They cancelled Tuesday’s game and moved it to Wednesday.

As a hotel sales person working in this market, I was going nuts with reservation requests and all sorts or questions and phone calls.  Operations and the front desk were going crazy.  People are calling and begging for rooms.  People are showing up at the desk and trying to get rooms.  I barely had a moment to think.

I just want to give you my opinion on this subject, in a nutshell.

Working at an Airport Full Service Property with 300 rooms – we had 25 rooms left.  They needed over 100.  We wanted to take the business but we did not have enough rooms available and did not find it an option to walk over 100 rooms.

The City of Philadelphia is a travel destination.  We get millions of visitors to the area each year.  Our Convention Center brings in tons of large groups that overflow into the Philadelphia Airport, Southern New Jersey and into Delaware.   Being by the Airport and only 6 miles South of the City, our location proves to be an asset to our hotel being successful.

Every hotel wanted this business.  Every hotel took a look at their arrivals to see who they could walk and if it was possible.  Not one hotel wanted to turn this business away.  The area is busy and rich with travelers.  They did not have the room availability to take the whole block.

Also let me mention that the weather has been bad and the Airline Flights are cancelling.  Our hotel was overwhelmed with Airline Crews trying to increase their room block or to simply try to get rooms.  The distress, oh my, I’m not sure where they wound up since we only took about 20 rooms in.

So, just to get the story straight from a Hotel Sales Person, the City of Philadelphia Hotels did what they could.  We have handled the rush like no other and I’m proud that I personally had the opportunity to experience this event.  It has generated many stories for me to tell forever.

Good Luck!

Pure Energy

When And When Not To “walk” The Hotel Guest

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Everyone hates to be handed the highlighter and an arrival list and to mark off who to walk and who not to.  If your property is in a walk situation, you the Sales Person should make sure that they do not walk a regular guest, VIP or a new client reservation.

When there is demand in your market, it is smart business decision to consider “walking” some guest if you want to maximize your revenues.  At an airport location take a look at your Airline Crews who are usually booked at a lower negotiated rate.  Another place to look is your hotwire, priceline, hotels.com and other ecommerce reservations.

First the Sales Manager should identify high demand times that you maybe in a situation to walk guests. Find a hotel that is simular to yours and close in location who will work with you on a Walk Rate.  Establish Direct Billing.  It is much smoother to have a contact or two at the walk hotel so that you can communicate easily.

Lets think about it.  It is normal for any Sales Person not to want to walk.  In serious cases, especially with the Airline Crews, the Sales Person should call their contact to let them know that their crew is going to be displaced.  With advance notice, on most occasions the Airline contacts will work with you.  This is why establishing a good relationship with the contacts is important.  I have used the excuse that a large group has extended and that I am now sold out.

If the Airline Rate is $65.00 per room and your walk hotel has extended the same rate ~ you are selling rack at prime lets say for discussion sake $149.00, then you will profit $84.00 per room.   Take a look at your low rated negotiated, Corporate Lodging or even a tour bus.  I know as a Sales Person this isn’t fun and I hate doing it.  But because I was sincere, communicated with the client and placed them at a simular hotel, I have not lost any accounts.

For the ecommerce guests, the Sales Person will most likely not be able to alert the guest.

The new consumers of traveling are smarter and have been educated.  I am not recommending that you walk your guests or preferred clients.  I am recommending that the Sales Person keeps an eye on the market and is involved with maximizing revenues especially during demand times.  If your property practices Yield Management, then you should not be in a position to have to walk any guests.

Check out www.hotelsalesmanager/members for more information.

It is recommended that the Sales Manager negotiates a walk rate with the hotel prior to actually walking a guest.  Have the forms ready to provide to the hotel to ensure that they have all of the information that they need.  Find a hotel that is close to your location that will work with you on the ”walk rate”.

Don’t forget about your Front Desk Staff.  Are they properly trained to handle the guest?  Practice with them.  If they are uncomfortable and uneducated, most Agents are, then they may crumble and make the guest even angrier.  They will need to stay strong, apologize and be sincere about the situation.  I’ve seen untrained Front Desk Staff actually break down and cry right in front of the guest.  Don’t do this to the Agents, make sure that they know what to do.

Good luck!

Pure Energy

World Series brings in tons of hotel revenue

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Our property is located 2 miles South of the Philadelphia International Airport and 6 miles South of the Citizens Bank Park where the Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay are battling it out for the to see who’s the world champion.  It’s exciting, busy and crazy.  Our hotel made the most in rooms revenue then I have ever seen.

We developed a relationship a travel agency last year when the Phillies lost immediately.  Knowing that the Phillies were near winning, we called on last years contact and they requested 100 rooms a night.  We were a selected hotel for MLB families, media and others and we closed it taking $10 off of our rack rate.

We did not have an influx of central reservations until 6 days prior.  Everything was last minute.

The city of Philadelphia was fully committed with-in 2 days after the Phillies won.  Next was Airport properties and the surrounding suburbs from Delaware and into Cherry Hill & Mount Laurel New Jersey,

A day or two prior Friday, October 24th – peeking night – we started getting cancellations as rooms opened up into the city.  We went from Sold Out to having 44 rooms left for Saturday, October 25th – the peek night.  We did not accept any discounts, additional group rooms or airline crew or distressed – that wasn’t already booked.  At 2pm on the 25th we 20 rooms left to sell.  My shift was over and I wasn’t hearing many reservation requests coming into the desk.

The property sold all but 3 rooms.  Very good job on the front desk staff.  We produced the most revenue I have seen since I started at the property over 2 years ago.

We did have some no-shows and we certainly charged them.

Go Phillies!

Pure Energy